Nebraska has been named the Happiest State in America:
http://abcnews.go.com/video/video?id=7266970
We are also ranked 6th among the best pro-life states:
http://www.aul.org/auls-life-list-2011-rankings/
The 2 sets of rankings do not match very well in terms of who is the happiest and most prolife, but they do match well for which states are the unhappiest and most pro-choice.
This correlation makes complete sense.
For all of the hype about sleep deprivation, weight gain, and loss of 'me-time', babies generally bring joy if they are allowed to survive the womb. We are shocked by those stories of people who abuse or hurt babies because they are so counter to our nature. Most people smile at babies. Most people try to make them laugh. When holding the hand of a child, we smile if the baby grips us in return. We know that the future of us is dependent on the existence of them. And that gives us joy.
Caring for a child encourages responsible and steady behavior. As a parent, most of us think twice about dangerous behavior, because we have someone more important to care for. We watch what we say. We keep jobs, and work through the tough times, because we have mouths to feed and roofs to maintain. We avoid crisis situations in order to keep the whole family moving ahead.
It also seems to me that parents, the good ones anyway, are more likely to avoid debt and to save. Parents save for retirement so they can play with grandchildren, and save for the education of the children they have. If they go into debt, they do so in support of the children or the home.
I know I'm describing what the sophisticated and learned will discount as a hopeless fantasy land. I have only this response:
This is the way I live. This is the way most of my friends and family live.
Perhaps it is time to refocus our attention away from the exceptions (as seen on Oprah, The Today Show, The View, etc.) and toward the rule, as experienced here in this happy state.
Now I have to happily make my son finish his schoolwork and shovel the driveway. Happiness doesn't mean never having to be a crabby taskmaster.
http://abcnews.go.com/video/video?id=7266970
We are also ranked 6th among the best pro-life states:
http://www.aul.org/auls-life-list-2011-rankings/
The 2 sets of rankings do not match very well in terms of who is the happiest and most prolife, but they do match well for which states are the unhappiest and most pro-choice.
This correlation makes complete sense.
For all of the hype about sleep deprivation, weight gain, and loss of 'me-time', babies generally bring joy if they are allowed to survive the womb. We are shocked by those stories of people who abuse or hurt babies because they are so counter to our nature. Most people smile at babies. Most people try to make them laugh. When holding the hand of a child, we smile if the baby grips us in return. We know that the future of us is dependent on the existence of them. And that gives us joy.
Caring for a child encourages responsible and steady behavior. As a parent, most of us think twice about dangerous behavior, because we have someone more important to care for. We watch what we say. We keep jobs, and work through the tough times, because we have mouths to feed and roofs to maintain. We avoid crisis situations in order to keep the whole family moving ahead.
It also seems to me that parents, the good ones anyway, are more likely to avoid debt and to save. Parents save for retirement so they can play with grandchildren, and save for the education of the children they have. If they go into debt, they do so in support of the children or the home.
I know I'm describing what the sophisticated and learned will discount as a hopeless fantasy land. I have only this response:
This is the way I live. This is the way most of my friends and family live.
Perhaps it is time to refocus our attention away from the exceptions (as seen on Oprah, The Today Show, The View, etc.) and toward the rule, as experienced here in this happy state.
Now I have to happily make my son finish his schoolwork and shovel the driveway. Happiness doesn't mean never having to be a crabby taskmaster.
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